Returning (2)

And to the surprise of the 100 people, these 200ish people that appeared were the same people that they had killed so that they could 'survive'.

The people they ganged up on, the people they betrayed, the kid that they picked on, it was all the same people who became the survivors' victims,

Looks of dread began appearing once again on some of the people who stood on the raised platform as they remembered what they had done to be able to stand there.

But a few of them felt relieved knowing that their hands weren't bloody and they didn't really kill another human being.

And for Lucas, he just smiled knowing that the kid that he tried so hard to protect didn't actually die and his efforts weren't in vain.

Seeing all the people had gathered in the hall, Esme then opened up her mouth again,

"Open your eyes and see above you. Those are the people that stood above you. They defeated you and became the winners.

And winners should be rewarded."

The woman then raised her fingers and channeled her mana.

In the next moment, leather pouches began appearing out of thin air in front of the 100 people.

"Take it. You can use the money to either buy things here or exchange them for your world's currency after you get back to your world.

And use the book to start your journey to become an immortal."

All 100 people then reached out their hands and grabbed the pouches floating in front of them.

Lucas also did the same and quickly opened up the pouch to find 5 gold coins inside it and another book that looked like the basic body strengthening technique book.

Lucas read the words written on the cover of the book and it said,

'Basic mana cultivation technique'

Seeing the contents, Maya mumbled,

'As expected of a kingdom. Such cheap bastards…'

Putting the book aside for now, Lucas didn't know how much those five gold coins were worth, but it was his first time ever seeing real gold.

And that was enough to mesmerize him.

But his surprise wasn't over yet.

"But out of 100 people standing here, 5 of them are truly the best, the strongest of you all," Esme spoke again before snapping her fingers once more.

5 people then began floating up from the rest of the 100.

One of them was Lucas.

From the middle of the raised platform, the ground opened up, prompting the people who stood over there to walk away.

Out of the open ground, another platform rose from it and the five people, including Lucas, landed there.

"These five people were the ones who grasped true strength. These people were the ones who had taken half a step closer to immortality."

"These 5 people were the first mortals from your world to ever use mana."

The woman then floated closer to them and smiled at the five people.

3 out of the 5 people, including Lucas, were able to somewhat resist the woman's charm, but after she got closer and gave them a smile from such a close distance, their defenses crumbled down.

Be it man or woman, almost all of them looked at the woman as if she was their newlywed partner and they were going on their honeymoon.

But knowing such deadly charm would be incoming from a certain fox girl, Lucas circulated his mana and gave an illusion to himself to make it as if the woman looked like any ordinary woman.

This time, the woman who saw Lucas had once again resisted her charm, really took an interest in him, and floated even closer to him.

"I will give you a very special care," She whispered as she winked at him.

The woman then floated slightly back up again before speaking out loud once more,

"And for that achievement, they must also be rewarded."

The woman then summoned more gold coins and gave 5 more to each of the 5 people.

"Keep them inside your pouches," She pointed at the pouches she gave to them before.

Lucas now had 10 shiny gold coins in his belongings and he began imagining how much money he would get from selling them.

After giving the 10 people their gifts, the woman then spoke to the other people who stood below the highest platform.

"Here, in the world of Gula, everything you receive will be based on your strength.

Be it money, prestige, or even love. If you are weak, you won't get any of them.

So, which one do you want? Stay weak forever and continue living your boring, miserable ordinary lives?

Or do you want to be stronger? Climb the strength ladder, and get whatever you want. 

In this world, you can get anything, anything is possible to be in your grasp with enough power."

Esme purposely slowed her last few words before continuing,

"And that doesn't exclude me." She enhanced her charm spell, making the people who hardly resisted finally fall for it.

She then waved her robes and shouted for the last time,

"I will be waiting for all of your return here to the world of Gula!"

After she said those words, a big red circular portal appeared in the middle of the highest platform and it swallowed the five people inside.

Transporting them back home, back to Planet Earth.

Lucas was kind of already used to the feeling of teleportation that he didn't find it unusual to suddenly find himself covered in darkness before appearing in a completely different place.

So when he was sucked into the red portal and found himself staring into dark empty space, he didn't panic one bit and just stayed silent.

Just as he had expected, the light soon returned to his vision and he found himself inside an empty room.

It wasn't anything like the spotless empty room like the place where he was teleported before he was told to kill people.

It was just a simple, square room with nothing inside it. There were no chairs, tables, or any furniture at all.

The walls and floor were seemingly made out of thin green-colored plywood. And the word boring would perfectly describe the small room that was 2x2 meters huge.

And he just stood there, facing the ordinary-looking wooden door in front of him.

"Maya? Are you there? Can we talk now?" Lucas stared at the red pendant hanging on his neck.

Without making the pendant glow, Maya answered,

'After we get out of this place and go somewhere private, I promise I will answer all your questions to the best of my abilities.'

Lucas had waited for his answers and explanations for a long time, so waiting for a little more wasn't a big deal for him.

To get his answers soon, Lucas looked at the door in front of him and opened it.